Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt.

IV 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. RES. 49 Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 16, 2019 Mr. HILL of Arkansas (for himself, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. BARR, Mr. CORREA, Mr. BOST, Mrs. WALORSKI, Mr. BILIRAKIS, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. DAVID P. ROE of Tennessee, Mr. MOOLENAAR, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. ROUZER, and Mr. BABIN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Supporting Coptic Christians in Egypt. Whereas St. Mark brought Christianity to Egypt, where Cop- tic Christians have been one of the indigenous people of Egypt for over 2,000 years; Whereas there are over 10,000,000 Copts in Egypt, making the Copts the largest Christian and the largest non-Mus- lim community in the Middle East; Whereas Copts and other Christians have been targets of so- cietal aggression resulting in the loss of life, property, and the destruction of churches; Whereas, in January 2015, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the first Egyptian President to make an appearance at a Coptic Christian Christmas liturgy; VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HRES 49 IH Whereas, in August 2016, Egypt passed Law 80 to stream- line the church construction process; Whereas, as of November 2018, of the approximately 3,800 unlicensed churches awaiting legalization, authorities have conditionally recognized only 627; Whereas there are 39 members of Egypt’s Parliament that are Coptic; Whereas, in 2018, President el-Sisi appointed the first Coptic female Governor, Dr. Manal Awad Mikhael, to Damietta Governorate and a Coptic man, Dr. Gamal Gad Saad as Governor of Daqahleya Governorate; Whereas previously there were no Copts among the 27 Gov- ernors and 18 Deputy Governors in the entire country; Whereas Coptic Christians face discrimination in Egypt’s public-sector employment, including the police force, armed services, education, the judiciary, and the foreign service; Whereas Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) released a video calling Copts their ‘‘favorite prey’’ and warning of increased attacks; Whereas violence against Coptic Christians, particularly in local villages, is rarely punished, making Copts more sus- ceptible to attacks; Whereas Egyptian Government officials frequently participate in informal reconciliation sessions to address incidents of sectarian violence or tension, saying that such sessions prevented further violence; Whereas according to human rights groups, the reconciliation sessions have regularly led to outcomes unfavorable to re- VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HRES 49 IH ligious minorities and precluded recourse to the judicial system by such minorities; Whereas, in the summer of 2017, Egypt’s security apparatus warned churches against attacks and urged them to can- cel their summer activities for fear of attacks by Islamists; Whereas civil society institutions, women’s rights organiza- tions, nongovernmental organizations (both national and foreign) have been shut down or their activities severely curtailed; Whereas journalists, thinkers, and dissenters have been si- lenced or imprisoned; Whereas United States diplomatic leadership contributes meaningfully and materially to the international protec- tion of religious minorities and their faith-based practices and places of worship; Whereas the United States has a strong interest in combat- ting the threat of Islamic terrorism and ensuring the sta- bility of the region; and Whereas religious freedom and human rights are an essential cornerstone of democracy that promotes respect for indi- vidual liberty and contributes to greater stability and are priority values for the United States in promoting its en- gagement with other countries: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1 (1) acknowledges the central and historic im- 2 portance of the United States-Egypt partnership in 3 advancing the common interests of both countries; 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HRES 49 IH (2) appreciates Egypt’s regional role as a part- 1 ner in the fight against terrorism and violent extre- 2 mism; 3 (3) recognizes the necessity for Egypt’s leaders 4 to take steps toward education reform that prioritize 5 impartial instruction of all religions and political re- 6 form that prioritizes human rights, fundamental 7 freedoms, and the rule of law; 8 (4) urges the Government of Egypt to enact se- 9 rious and legitimate reforms to ensure Coptic Chris- 10 tians are given the same rights and opportunities as 11 all other Egyptian citizens; and 12 (5) urges the Government of Egypt to take ad- 13 ditional steps to end the culture of impunity for at- 14 tacks on Christians, to continue to undertake the ar- 15 rest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals who 16 carry out attacks on Copts and other Christians in 17 Egypt, and to hold accountable Government officials 18 who fail to enforce the law. 19 Æ VerDate Sep 11 2014 00:10 Jan 17, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6301 E:\BILLS\HR49.IH HR49 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS